Possibilities

You might think it’s impossible forathletes with prosthetic devices to reach the same level of success as their whole-limbed colleagues, but that’s a myth. Limb loss can be overcome on the playing field – and these football players are here to prove it!

A few years ago, Deven – now 12 years old – lost both his legs to meningitis. He never wavered in his goal to return to football, even spending 3 hours a week learning to walk and run with his new blades. Plus, he got to meet some of his favorite pro football players as a result of his endurance and positive attitude!

As a baby, Damon had twisted feet. Both of them were amputated when he was 2 years old. You wouldn’t think that would make for a very promising football career, but Damon has shown the world otherwise! He’s now playing varsity football for his senior year of high school, and he says that “anything you put your mind to, you can do it.”

Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, Andrew lost his left leg below the knee and has a right club foot. The fingers on both of his hands are also affected. All of this resulted in 7 surgeries before Andrew’s 12th birthday. Andrew, now a high school sophomore, doesn’t let any of this stop him – and he thinks it’s pretty funny when his leg comes off during a tackle.

Their Inspiration Is Our Motivation

Here at BioTech, we think people with limb loss are pretty awesome. That’s why we do everything we can to give our patients exceptional service, fromexpedited fittings to advice on cost and insurance.

Whether you’re looking for prosthetic or orthotic devices, scoliosis braces, or just a friendly face and a positive attitude, BioTech is the place for you. We’ll treat you like family – guaranteed.

Cycling is a fun, low-impact exercise that can help you rebuild strength and maintain your fitness after losing a leg. But if you’ve had an above or below knee amputation, how do you continue to ride your bike?

Read on for tips!

The Bicycle

One of the most common problems associated with cycling after amputation is that a prosthesis doesn’t stay on a flat pedal very well. Instead, it will slide off, which makes riding a bike very difficult.

As you’re starting to get back into cycling, the best thing to do is to have a flat pedal without clip-ins on the side with your whole leg (for single amputees) while you get used to clipping in on the side with the prosthesis. Sometimes, a clip-in pedal allows for tension adjustment, which will make it harder or easier to unclip. Make sure you set this on the easiest position.

Also, a crank arm shortener may help decrease the degree that your knee has to bend, which can make things a lot more comfortable and efficient for you. Crank arm shorteners allow you to place the pedal in a variety of locations so that you can find the best position and, hopefully, reduce the amount of socket pinch behind the knee or at the hip. You can find a crank arm shortener online or at your local bike shop.

The Prosthesis

Another issue that comes with cycling after amputation is that the heel of your prosthesis may hit the crank arm. If that happens, the first thing to try is asking your prosthetist to help you adjust your alignment when getting on and off the bike.

For an above the knee socket, you can also see about having an older socket cut down to give you more comfort on the bicycle seat. Using a waist belt can help by giving you improved rotation control and suspension.

Some knee prostheses have a “free swing” setting, which can make pedaling much more efficient. Just make sure you know how to change the setting as you get on and off the bike.

Getting On and Off Your Bike

You’ve prepared your bike and your prosthesis — you’re ready to go! Well, almost. First, make sure you are adept at getting on and off the bike. This needs to be a smooth process that you feel comfortable with before you take off down the road. Have someone spot you until you’ve got the hang of it.

The best way to get on your bike is to swing your prosthetic side (or your weaker side, if you are a double amputee) over the bike and then secure it into the pedal. To get off the bike, set down your sound leg (or your stronger side) first. You’ll have to twist a bit to unclip your prosthesis from the pedal; sometimes it helps to lean the bike over a little after setting your sound foot on the ground.

Once you feel confident getting on and off your bike, you’re ready to take your first ride! Just be careful and exercise good judgment. Start slow, and go out for a short time. You can increase your time and speed little by little until you build up to your desired level. Soon, cycling after amputation will feel natural, and you’ll be spinning down the street whenever you want!

BioTech Can Help You Get There!

Here at BioTech, our passionate, dedicated team is here to help you reach all your athletic goals. We know the possibilities, and we are here to make them your reality! Contact us today for all your prosthetic and orthotic needs.

We’ve mentioned before how technology in the field of prosthetics has come a long way, and how it is only gaining speed. When it comes to professional sports, there are some sectors — like track and field — that have already realized their prosthetic potential, and there are others — like basketball — that are on the verge of doing so.

Pistorius’s Flex Foot Cheetah Blades

Why are we bringing up Oscar Pistorius in a basketball article? Bear with us — it’ll make sense in a minute.

We know he’s a controversial figure, but if we can look at Oscar Pistorius solely for his athletic ability, we find someone who became a dominant athlete in spite of having both legs amputated as an infant. By the time he was 18 years old, he was a Paralympic gold medal winner in track, and was beginning to compete in races in his native South Africa with people who were not amputees.

How was this possible? How could a man with two amputated legs compete with whole-legged men? According to a study done by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), “The positive work, or returned energy, from the prosthetic blade is close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting.”

What This Could Mean for Basketball

Imagine if the technology in Pistorius’s Cheetah blade could be adapted for the basketball court. You could have a durable leg prosthesis with a smart microprocessor that doesn’t get nearly as weary as a natural leg because the returned energy would be so much higher.

And a leg that doesn’t get as weary means a player that doesn’t get as weary — and that might sound pretty good to the NBA, which is more attuned to the wear and tear of its athletes than ever before.

What Are the Challenges?

As opposed to something like track, which is essentially a single motion sport, there are myriad biomechanical demands when it comes to basketball. Think directional changes, lateral movements, sudden stops and starts, and so on. And that’s not even considering what has to happen for an athlete to shoot the ball or get a rebound — both of which require a very specific and complicated set of movements in the upper body.

This combination of movements in basketball is the greatest challenge to developing a prosthetic device for the players that would perform at the same level as the Cheetah blade. But the technology is on the horizon, and the science backing it up is advancing quickly.

We’ll never be able to fully replace a natural limb. But it is possible to get close — and if technology keeps moving the way it has been, the NBA could look very different in just a few years.

BioTech Is Here for All Your Athletic Needs

No matter your lifestyle, BioTech has what you need. We work with each patient one-on-one to get the best fit possible, and we won’t stop until you are completely satisfied. Contact us today for more information!

Chad Bailey’s life was changed 12 years ago when he lost his foot from the heel forward. He sought an orthotic device that would give him a comfort fit and make him feel like he had his foot again. Instead, he received a brace that was made of solid plastic and hurt so much that he couldn’t effectively use it.

Then Chad turned to BioTech, which built the second brace. Chad has been using the brace that BioTech created for him for 10 years now and says he couldn’t ask for anything better!